The invention pertains to plastic shopping bags and means for storing and dispensing such bags. More particularly, the invention relates to expandable plastic film shopping bags designed for roll dispensing.
Plastic shopping bags are commonly used in supermarkets, department stores and similar applications. These bags have advantages in that they are relatively inexpensive to produce, provide substantial carrying capacity and may include easily used handles. When the bags are produced in larger, more heavy-duty sizes, several problems occur.
First, storage and retrieval of the bags becomes difficult as the bags become larger. Typical packaging of the bags involves storing them in flat packs in paperboard or corrugated cartons. These containers require substantial shelf space and the containers tend to slide on the shelves when the bags are removed from them. Often the bag boxes are placed near the floor, requiring excessive bending on the part of a cashier filing the bags. Such bending motions also require the cashier to be unavailable to watch the customer during checkout. Second, when stored in flat packages, the bags tend to slide over one another making retrieval from the storage container difficult. Third, the cartons in which the bags are stored are disposable and expensive to produce.
It is an objective of the invention to provide a means for dispensing large size shopping bags while maximizing the use of limited checkout counter space. It is a further objective to prevent the need for checkout personnel to bend over to reach for the shopping bags. It is another objective of the invention to allow the checkout personnel to maintain eye contact with customers while reaching for shopping bags. It is still another objective to provide for bag dispensers that can be mounted in a variety of different ways to suit the needs of particular checkout stations. Finally, it is an objective of the invention to provide dispensers that can be easily and quickly loaded with shopping bags minimizing the need for disposing of any bag boxes or containers.
Various designs have been developed for roll mounted bags and dispensers for such bags, incorporating a number of different technologies. U.S. Pat. No. 5,752,666 issued to Simhaee discloses a roll of plastic bags wound on a core in a star-sealed configuration for use with a dispenser having opposing tracks in which the roll is supported. The dispenser has a separating tongue for enabling individual bags to be separated from the roll. Separation lines are provided between adjacent bags, a slot in each separation line being engageable by the tongue within the dispenser so that individual bags may be dispensed from the roll one at a time.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,556,019 issued to Morris, describes a bag separator and dispenser for use with bags wound on a core and separated by perforation lines at each end of the bags. The perforation lines include a slot that is collinear with the perforations and is used to engage a separator projection. The projection enters the slot as the bags are pulled from the roll. The dispenser includes two braking devices to control the removal of bags from the roll, a braking bar underneath the roll of bags and a pair of fingers that are attached to the channel for the core and are designed to engage the core as the number of bags on the roll decreases.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,135,134, issued to Dancy discloses a deformable plastic bag dispenser for a continuous roll of plastic bags. The dispenser is cylindrical in shape and includes a longitudinal slot for dispensing the bags. Adjacent bags on the roll are attached by a perforated tear line. The dispenser is deformable to allow the operator to grip the roll by squeezing the dispenser, preventing further rotation of the roll, and allowing a bag to be removed from the roll.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,793,539 issued to Haenni et al. describes a through-counter dispensing system for plastic bags. A dispensing nozzle is fitted to a hole in a countertop. The bags are wound on rolls mounted to racks beneath the counter. The nozzle includes frictional elements in the form of a zigzag slot designed to allow a first bag to be torn from a subsequent bag as the first bag is pulled through the slot. An enlarged loading opening is provided at one side of the slot to facilitate loading of the first bag into the nozzle for dispensing.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,509,570 issued to DeMatteis is directed to a dispenser of plastic bags. The bags are stacked in a position for mouth forward dispensing. The bags are folded at two locations; the first is a fold at the straps"" juncture with the rest of the bag and the second is a fold closer to the bottom, of the bag (about half-way) at a location that permits each fold, to lie against the front and rear walls of the carton. This helps keep the stack of plastic bags in position within the carton between the front and rear walls. The first fold results in the strap being folded to extend away from the bag mouth cutout and toward the second fold. The bags are thus positioned to expose the top-most mouth in the stack, which is in a forward-most position immediately accessible via the cutout.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,305,572, issued to Daniels et al., the present inventors, discloses interleaved roll mounted bags and dispenser similar to the present invention, however, lacking the variety of dispensers described in the present invention.
While other variations exist, the above-described designs for roll and carton mounted bags and dispensers are typical of those encountered in the prior art. While some of the objectives of the present invention are disclosed in the prior art, none of the inventions found include all of the requirements identified.
The present invention addresses may of the deficiencies of shopping bag and dispenser combination inventions and satisfies all of the objectives described above.
An interleaved roll mounted bag and dispenser combination providing the desired features may be constructed from the following components. A plurality of plastic shopping bags is provided. Each of the bags has first and second parallel linear side edges, a top edge and a bottom edge. The bags are folded along a vertical axis between the first and second parallel linear side edges. The folded bags are interleaved upon each other so that an upper portion of each bag rests upon a lower portion of a subsequent bag. The interleaved bags are rolled to form a compact roll from which the bags are dispensed.
A dispenser is provided. The dispenser includes a receptacle that constrains movement of the compact bag roll during dispensing of the interleaved bags. The compact bag roll is located within the dispenser with an outside bag of the roll extendable outwardly from the dispenser. When the compact bag roll is located within the dispenser with the upper portion of the outside bag accessible for withdrawal from the dispenser, the bags may be serially withdrawn from the roll starting with the outside bag of the roll.
In a variant of the invention, each of the shopping bags, commonly known as a T-shirt style bag includes a front panel, a rear panel, two front gusset panels and two rear gusset panels. The front panel has first and second parallel linear side edges, a top edge and a bottom edge. The rear panel has first and second parallel linear side edges, a top edge and a bottom edge. The two front gusset panels are of a first predetermined dimension. Each front gusset panel has a top edge, a bottom edge, first and second parallel side edges and is joined at the first side edge to one of the linear side edges of the front panel and extends from the top edge of the front panel to the bottom edge of the front panel.
The two rear gusset panels are of the first predetermined dimension. Each rear gusset panel has a top edge, a bottom edge, first and second parallel side edges and is joined at the first side edge to one of the linear side edges of the rear panel and extends from the top edge of the rear panel to the bottom edge of the rear panel. Each front gusset panel is also joined to a respective one of the rear gusset panels at the second side edge. Each of the front and rear gusset panels is folded inwardly relative to the front and the rear panels.
The top edges of the front panel, the rear panel, the front gusset panels and the rear gusset panels terminate in an upper seam. The bottom edges of the front panel, the rear panel, the front gusset panels and the rear gusset panels terminate in a lower seam. The lower seam is perpendicular to the linear side edges of the front and rear panels.
A U-shaped cut-out is provided. The U-shaped cut-out is located in an upper portion of the bag and commences at a first point along the upper seam. The point is spaced inwardly from the first linear side edge and extends to a second point along the upper seam spaced inwardly from the second linear side edge. The cut-out extends downwardly toward the lower seam, forming an open mouth and a pair of bag handles.
In a further variant, the dispenser includes means for securing the dispenser to a surface. In still a further variant, the receptacle has at least one rear restraining member. In another variant the receptacle has at least one front restraining member. In yet another variant the receptacle has at least one rear restraining member and at least one side restraining member. In still another variant of the invention, the receptacle is mounted so as to tilt toward the at least one side restraining member.
In a further variant, the receptacle has at least one front restraining member and at least one side restraining member. In yet a further variant, the receptacle is mounted so as to tilt toward the at least one side restraining member. In still a further variant, the receptacle has at least one front restraining member and at least one rear restraining member.
In still another variant of the invention, the receptacle has at least one rear restraining member and first and second side restraining members. In yet another variant, the receptacle is mounted so as to tilt toward either of the first and second side restraining members. In a further variant, the receptacle is mounted so as to tilt toward the rear restraining member.
In still a further variant, the receptacle has a front restraining member and first and second side restraining members. In yet a further variant of the invention, the receptacle is mounted so as to tilt toward either of the first and second side restraining members. In still a further variant, the receptacle is mounted so as to tilt toward the front restraining member.
In another variant of the invention, the receptacle is a cradle; the cradle has either of an angled front restraining member and an angled rear restraining member. In yet another variant, the receptacle is a cradle, the cradle having either of a curved front restraining member and a curved rear restraining member. In still another variant, the receptacle is constructed of material selected from the group comprising: metal, wood, plastic, fiberglass and paperboard.
In a further variant of the invention, the receptacle further comprises a bag roll guide, the guide extending from an inner surface of the front restraining member to an inner surface of the rear restraining member. In a final variant, the bag roll guide is of the form selected from the group comprising: curved, V-shaped, rounded U-shaped, and square U-shaped.
Further variants of the invention include a tray-like dispenser, a dispenser with glue tabs for mounting to a surface, a dispenser with weighted mounting feet, and a dispenser designed to be mounted under a counter.